Can Brett Wallace prove he is able to succeed at third base?

For the fourth time in his last five starts, Brett Wallace was at third base on Tuesday night.

In a season that has raised many, many questions, this is the latest that needs answering. Can Wallace, who played third coming up through the minors, be a viable candidate for a third base job with his smaller frame next season.

“This gives us an opportunity to check him out over there and go from there,” manager Brad Mills said. “As we move on during the season, we want to try to answer as many questions as we can – that being one of them.”

Third base has been a question in the near-to-mid-range future since Chris Johnson was traded, and there are a number of possibilities.

Marwin Gonzalez played well there Monday and would presumably have to vacate shortstop with Jed Lowrie coming back even if it weren’t for Tyler Greene’s acquisition. Also, Matt Dominguez – acquired in the Carlos Lee trade with the Marlins – is perhaps the best defensive option at the position, though a lot rides on his bat’s ability to catch up.

Scott Moore has also played third base, though he’s been playing first with the exposure at the hot corner given to Wallace, whom Mills added may be playing some shortstop as well.

There is some more clarity at first base, though not immediately, as Jonathan Singleton appears to be the long-term solution there.

Third base isn’t new to Wallace, who played it in the Cardinals and Athletics organization before his third team, the Blue Jays, moved him to first base thinking that would be a better fit. With Carlos Lee at first base, Wallace played some third in spring training and got more than half his Class AAA starts this year at third.

“I definitely felt – even in spring training – the more I was over there and working there, it started coming back,” Wallace said. “I start seeing the ball off the bat at that angle a little bit better. Definitely throughout my starts in Oklahoma City, I got that rhythm back, just the comfort level of being on that side there.”

The long road ahead

In a letter to season ticket holders obtained Tuesday afternoon, general manager Jeff Luhnow attempted to reassure fans of the Astros’ rebuilding process despite the record that then sat at 38-79.

“We share your frustration with the results on the field so far this year,” Luhnow wrote. “After a successful spring training, we played good baseball for the first two months of the year. …

“Since that time we have underperformed everyone’s expectations, including our own. We ran into a combination of bad luck, injuries and a lack of depth that led to our deteriorating record through the mid summer months.”

Luhnow emphasized that the Astros will continue to invest in the draft, international amateurs and other clubs’ talent via trade going forward.

“These investments will bear fruit in the coming years, as the players acquired move through the system, reach the Major Leagues and contribute to a winning team effort,” Luhnow wrote.

He also stressed the turnaround in the minor league winning percentage.

It’s not generally the best measure of a club’s player development success, but the Astros went into Tuesday with a 369-327 (.530) record after compiling a 337-488 (.408) record with no winning affiliates last year.